Chapter 1: A Series of Dreams

A/N: Hi everyone, this is Kalex, the person who writes the stories. Sorry about the author's note, I know no one cares. You can just skip this if you want. I just wanted to thank you for reading our fan fiction. My brother and I have been working on the storyline for a while and we have a few chapters written, but this is our first time publishing works like this. The first thing I'd like to do if warn you that this fan fiction will be rather bipolar, and I apologize for that. This is the first fan fiction I've ever written and it's the first my brother has ever planned.

This will also be a romance, although that's not the main focus. It's AllLulu, including guys (we want to spread the love)! If you're uncomfortable about reading romance, it's not the only thing going on, so you can probably skip it with you want. Same if there's a couple that you don't like. We're hoping to keep that fairly equal.

We'll probably try to post a poll or something so you can vote on which couple(s) you want to see the most of if you're interested. There probably won't be an endgame couple, and we'll try to include any that get even a single vote. However, more popular pairings will get more story time.

Anyway, here's our first chapter. I apologize for the long note!

DISCLAIMER: To the surprise of everyone, my brother and I, the lowly fan fiction writers that we are, do not, in fact, own a hit anime series, and none of the characters belong to us. If we did, we would not be here. We would be making a season 3 diddly darn it. And it would involve Lelouch galavanting across the galaxy with laser beams and his trusty dinosaur steed. It is also safe to note that if we owned Code Geass, it would, in fact, not be like Code Geass at all. It would also be titled "The Story of how Lelouch Took Over the World and Definitely Wasn't Evil or Anything and Everyone Loved Him" part 1 of 27.

EDIT 6/16/19: Hey everyone! It's been an incredibly long wait, hasn't it? Ha... Ha... *dodges knives* We decided to go back and re-write all of our old chapters because we realized they were a total mess, so we'll be trying to repost them all today. We also found out that none of the page breaks appeared, making out mess even more confusing... I just want to apologize for the incredibly long wait - it's been over a year, and we're really, really sorry. I hope that the new chapters are a bit better! Also, don't worry, the story hasn't changed at all, so you totally don't have to re-read them! Luckily, now it's summer, so we should have more time to post chapters. Thank you all so much for your patience, and we hope you enjoy! Also, we'll be leaving the old author's notes as they were for the sake of history, in all of their probably cringe-worthy glory.

As Lelouch felt the cold embrace of death, he knew it was over.

The fighting was over.

The pain was over.

The misunderstandings were over.

The sight of his friends (or perhaps enemies) staring at him with disgust was over.

The disappointed and harsh looks sent his way when they thought he wasn't looking were over.

The feeling of anguish and guilt that greeted him every morning, day after day, was finally over.

Maybe he should be relieved. Maybe he should be happy. But as the world dissolved around his bleeding and broken body, as the cries of surprise and fear faded from his ears, when the pain and suffering and heaviness of everything he went through was lifted from his slumped shoulders, he could only think one thing.

As Lelouch felt the cold embrace of death, he knew he had failed.

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The collective subconscious watched as the emperor fell, his bleeding body hitting the ground as a hollowed husk of who he had been. They sighed. This wasn't right. This wasn't how is was supposed to end. None of this was what they had hoped would happen. There was so much regret, so much pain. They felt all of it, and it made their heart ache.

The thoughts rushed through them. All of the wishes, all of the farewells. Something that was done wrong at every turn.

One wished that she hadn't let her Contractor die, but she knew now it was too late.

One wished he could have protected and kept close those most dear to him, but he had failed.

One wished he had learned to love, and realized that he had the chance but squandered it.

One wished she hadn't let her friends die, but she had, and they were gone.

One wished he hadn't betrayed those who needed his trust, but he had made that choice and paid the price.

One wished he could have just kept Lelouch alive and safe like he promised he would, but here he was, watching him die right.

And one, the most potent, the most intense, was that of the one who wished that he hadn't failed. Not himself, not the world, and most of all, not his friends.

The collective subconscious acknowledged that they owed Lelouch. They owed him the satisfaction of finally getting what he wanted most, what he wished for so feverishly in his last moments. And they supposed that, through owing Lelouch, they owed those closest to Lelouch as well. They owed them all something.

So they would give them what they wished for as they watched their emperor die before their eyes.

And then they would watch. And wait.

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Lelouch opened his eyes.

Now, that can't be right.

Carefully, he sat up. He was...in his bed? Furiously, he rubbed his eyes. His thoughts were muddled. Why was he in his bed? Didn't he just...?

Crawling out of bed, he surveyed his surroundings. He was in his room. The clock read 7:27 a.m.. Most people would see this as a normal occurrence; to wake up in one's own house, in one's own room, in one's own bed, in one's own pajamas at the appropriate time.

But for someone who's dead, it's a bit surprising to say the least.

Well, this is a tad awkward, Lelouch thought.

Lelouch tiptoed down the stairs, surprisingly wary for someone who just purposely ended their own life. He checked around every corner, examining the house like a starving man might examine a steak. After staring around him with a look quite resembling a dead fish, he concluded this was indeed, yes, his house, and pre-nuke to boot. It was quite remarkable, really. A numb part of his mind vaguely noted that a bit of home renovation could do wonders to a desolate black crater.

He impersonated roadkill for a good thirty minutes as he wandered through his house in a daze, running his hands over mundane appliances with manic intensity (oh toaster, how I've missed you). Finally, Lelouch reached the front door. He looked out onto the gardens in awe. They were as magnificent and not-exploded as ever, lined with impressively looming hedges and bright flowers being dutifully tended to by workers. Did he mention is wasn't blown up?! What was going on here?!

Suddenly overwhelmed with urgency, he sprinted across his front yard, leaving his gardeners to wonder why their young master was racing around in his bunny slippers and pink-polka-dotted onesie.

After about 10 meters of sprinting and several hundred of exhausted limping, he finally reached the nearest newspaper stand.

In a trance, he ripped the nearest one off the racks, ignoring the terrified stares he was receiving from the boy manning the booth. As the young man cowered in fear, Lelouch frantically scanned the paper until his eyes reached the date.

His heart skipped a beat. No. No No NO! The world tilted on its axis, causing him to stumble past the boy who was currently calling the police. Impossible. Impossible! How could this be happening?! He was in the past?!

Suddenly he started giggling. It was impossible. It must be a joke! Yes, a joke, of course! Cackling maniacally, he ripped the paper to shreds. It was an illusion. Just a figment of his imagination. It had to be! There was no other explanation for this... Event.

There was no way. No way in hell.

It was the day before the poison gas incident.

Lelouch fainted.

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Republished 6/16/19